Morrisons coup for Harrogate's Yorkshire Meatball Company

Graham Chalmers

Harrogate’s unique food business Yorkshire Meatball Company has announced it’s now in another superstore chain.

Founded in 2014 by tather and son team David and Gareth Atkinson, the brand can now be found in select Morrisons stores across the country.
Using high-welfare British meat, chosen for its quality and provenance, and sourced from local Yorkshire butcher, Sykes House Farm, the owners are delighted that two types of their Yorkshire Meatball Company products are now in Morrisons - Hot Balls and our classic Yorkshire Balls.
Formerly a speciality meatball and craft beer bar, the team closed their restaurant on Station Bridge in Harrogate last year to focus on the retail market. The switch brought instant success in September when Asda decided to stock their classic Yorkshire Balls.
The latter are made with beef and pork and seasoned with shallot, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper.
And their unique recipe is completely free from gluten, dairy and egg.
Gareth Atkinson said: “We only source steer or heifer Beef that has been naturally raised and the pigs from which we source our pork are born outdoors and reared on straw by Yorkshire Outdoor farms.”
The family company prides itself on leading the fight against average, tasteless meatballs.
David Atkinson said: “Whether we’re sourcing our meat, selecting our seasonings, designing new packaging, putting together menus for pop-up events, or communicating our message; everything we do, we do it “Properly… with No Fuss”.
“While many recipes use egg and breadcrumbs to stick their meatballs together, we use gluten-free oats to bind our Balls
“It’s about saying no to shortcuts and distractions.”
Fiercely independent , the father and son team cited another factor in their decision to close their restaurant last years - in the increasingly crowded restaurant scene in Harrogate, they were struggling to recruit quality staff.